Setting the Stage

You know those clean, clear photographs of interiors that make you sigh? The ones that feel like a deep breath when you look at them? I love that feeling. And it seems so totally elusive in a 1,000 sq ft house with three homeschooling kids (and 4 kittens right now!). We have piles of paper and stacks of books, sketchbooks left open and ready, cups of water for painting, dishes and laundry and floors and a bathroom that can always use a once over. Those light-filled spaces that call to me in magazines never seem to have as many people in them as my life does!

One of the easiest shifts that happened for me while working through Simplified Organization and Work the Plan was the idea of clearing our spaces to neutral. Just getting the space ready for the next thing.

Wiping the table after meals, so that we can homeschool there

Putting away our books in the same spot, so we can grab them easily in the morning

Emptying the dishwasher in the morning, so that we can fill it through the day

Putting shoes away, so that we can find them when we want to go outside

Do you see the So That… pattern? We do the less glamorous, less exciting upkeep work so that we are ready for the good stuff when it’s time comes. It’s a little bit of prep work on the front end so that we can get busy later on.

It’s laying out the welcome mat for inspiration and creativity and whim.

When our tools and spaces are already prepared, we can get right down to our most important work.